Charles Pelatiah Corliss was a model maker at the Elgin National Watch Company. Earning the nickname “Father Time†by colleagues because of his long white beard, Corliss was so instrumental in many of Elgin’s innovations that the superintendent once remarked that “his information about watch making was more complete than that of any other man in the United States if not the world.†The brilliant designer also maintained a very strict routine, so regular that many claimed they could set their clocks by it.
Corliss’s brilliancy extended beyond watchmaking. In 1910, when he recognized the need for a communication system between departments at the factory, Corliss devised a telephone system that was utilized for more than a decade.
Pocket Watch Database

Charles Pelatiah Corliss
Elgin National Watch Co.
March 25, 1841 - May 3, 1915
Roles & Associations
Company | Role | Years |
---|---|---|
Elgin National Watch Co. |
Master Model MakerMaster Watchmaker and Model Maker |
1877-1915 |
Patents
Patent Description | Date Issued | |
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Dial Attachment For Stem-winding WatchesPatent #222460 |
December 9, 1879 |
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Watch Stem Wind & SetPatent #325506 |
September 1, 1885 |
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Watch StopPatent #339862 |
April 13, 1886 |
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Watch Stem Wind & SetPatent #345619 |
July 13, 1886 |
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Watch Stem Wind & SetPatent #503527 |
August 15, 1893 |
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Stem Wind & MechPatent #585025 |
June 22, 1897 |